Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Yum, Italian grits, lol! At least that is what I think of them. I have just started my love affair with polenta. Sure I have had it plenty before, but recently I have actually been craving it. It is really a versatile dish, there are hundreds of ways to dress it up. I am already planning a couple of new ways to prepare it. I added fontina cheese and parmesan to this batch, and it was fantastic. Next time I make polenta this way I will probably add more herbs. But since I was pairing it with my pork above, I decided to leave it simple and creamy.

Creamy Polenta with Fontina

1 1/2 cups corn meal

6 cups chicken stock/broth

1 cup heavy cream/half and half/milk

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

3 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 cup cubed fontina cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a large sauce pan bring chicken stock and cream to a boil. Pour polenta into the pot whisking as you go. Turn heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in butter and cheeses and cook about 5 minutes more. Serve immediately.